We were able to visit for the one-day “Jazz Congress” event, January 11 at Jazz at Lincoln Center (last held in January of 2020). As we noted last week, there were a lot of Pittsburghers there, too!

One last chat we have to share is with drummer, composer, bandleader and public radio jazz host, Jae Sinnett. We talked a bit about music, and especially his approach to radio, a career which came unexpectedly after he moved from the Pittsburgh area to Norfolk, VA more than three decades ago.

Jae Sinnett is also quite a chef, and we understand he’ll be back in Pittsburgh this year to both cook and play - food and music.

There’s a lot of other great things coming in 2024 - Deanna Witkowski will lead a 6 week online course about Mary Lou for SWING U for Jazz at Lincoln Center starting February 7th.

Deanna also has an in-person concert of jazz inspired sacred music on Friday February 2nd at the Church of the Redeemer, Squirrel Hill at noon.

January and February are heating up on the Pittsburgh Jazz Calendar, too - Paul Cosentino’s Boilermaker Jazz Band will hold sway EVERY Thursday for the foreseeable future at Golden Age Beer in Homestead. MCG Jazz is now helping lead the Tuesday night jazz for the Cultural Trust at the Greer Cabaret Lounge, downtown (and this past week, even recorded guitarist Mark Strickland’s trio in a homecoming for Uniontown native, organist Dave Braham).

And Mark Strickland will also be a part of a fundraiser event for the Washington Jazz Society on February 7th at the Southpointe Golf Club - Mark Strickland - guitar; Kevin Moore - piano; Bruce Wallace - bass and Vince Taglieri - drums - with Scott Hanley on vocals - a rare Pittsburgh appearance “For the Love of Jazz.”

Plus - finishing out 2023 - we didn’t give as much attention to a notable milestone in vocal jazz - the 50th anniversary and final concert tour for the Manhattan Transfer with the Diva Jazz Orchestra at the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, December 15, 2023. Variety did a great writeup - and it was the end of an era that many of us participated in.

The Scene - Thursday at 6pm, Sunday at 5pm, Friday and Saturday at noon on WZUM.